Darkening Kingdoms
by cuppereya
Summary: When a neighboring kingdom starts having trouble with a certain bear, Rapunzel and Jack go to help. What they didn't expect was a certain Pitch Black already setting a plan in motion. Did they bight off more than they could chew? (Not great summary, it didn't know what else to put. I might change it later. Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons, a.k.a. The Big Four AU)
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

_Alright, so this is my first fanfic that I'm uploading (hopefully not my last). This was inspired by art/Lords-of-kingdoms-385772467?q=favby%3Acuppereya%2F55981173&qo=6 (A wonderful RotBTD AU by VivianaxD)_

I stumpled across it a little while ago and an idea kinda popped into my head. Anyway, this is the first chapter (obviously) so there's really not much to go by (unless you count the dialogue), but it gets the ball rolling, at least.

**Chapter One**

"Come in." I said when I heard a knock at the door.

"Your highness." Jack, my royal guard said as he bowed slightly.

I chuckled. "Jack, you know I'm not one for formalities."

He shrugged, already slipping out of the respectful demeanor. "I didn't know if there was anyone else in here with you. I'd rather not get my ass chewed out if I can help it."

"You know I wouldn't let that happen. Now, what do you need." I asked. I got up from my desk and moved toward him.

"It's a letter from the neighboring kingdom. Apparently, it's urgent." He said, holding out an envelope.

I took it from him and tore open the wax seal. "Thanks, Jack. Here, come take a seat." I walked over to my bed and sat down while Jack took a seat at my desk. I read over the letter, which wasn't good at all.

"So, what does it say?" He asked, messing with a quill.

"Mor'du seems to have caused some more problems." I responded, glancing over the letter again.

"Really? What happened?" He put the quill down and looked at me with full attention, a rare occurrence.

"We'll, it doesn't really say exactly. Merida wrote that there was another attack, but Mor'du seemed different, darker, and oddly, controlled."

Jack got up. He moved toward me, and I saw he looked a little perplexed. "What do you mean by controlled?"

I shrugged and stood up as well. "I really don't know. Merida didn't specify what she meant, but I do know she needs help. Please, go and gather up as many warriors as you can, but I need for Henry to stay here. While we are gone, the need for protection is still there."

"Punzie, there hasn't been a hint of Pitch in months." He protested, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I put my hand over his. "Which is exactly why we need to keep our guard up. Pitch is a patient man. He proved that with my parents. I'm not letting anything else happen to this kingdom if I can help it." I sighed, looking up into crystal blue eyes. "Now, please Jack, go. It'll be okay."

He pursed his lips for a moment before planting a kiss on my forehead. "I hope so." He turned and left.

I sighed before changing out of my casual wear. I just hope we weren't too late.

I had just finished putting on my wrist guards when Jack came back. He was already wearing his cape and holding his staff. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"I just need my crown and pendent." I said, going over to my dresser.

Jack came up behind me and picked up my pendent. He flipped it around in his hands. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine." He clasped it around my neck, careful of my hair.

I turned around to face him. "Make the clocks reverse, Bring back once was mine." I sighed. "Jack, I miss them."

He gave me a sad smile as he reached behind me and grabbed my crown. He placed it on my head, saying, "I know, we all do." He took a step back and held out the hand that wasn't holding onto his staff. "Now come on, Merida needs our help."

I took his hand. "Everything is ready to go, then?"

Jack nodded. I restrained from bombarding him with questions. I already knew the answers, and it would only annoy him. I looked down at the ground as he led me toward the castle's entrance. With a chuckle I said, "Ever heard of shoes?"

I could hear the smile in his voice as he replied, "I feel better without them. What about you?"

I looked up at him with faux innocence. "What are you talking about?"

He rolled his eyes. "Your skirt is see through. You're as barefoot as I am."

I smiled lightly. "I feel better without them."

He gave a little gasp of horror. "Are you mocking me?"

I laughed. "I would never."

As soon as we turned into the entrance all, the both of us were back to being serious. People were running around, getting ready for our leave. One of the servants hurried over to the two of us. She lowered into a bow. "Your highness."

"Please, Clara. Just call me Rapunzel, and you know how I feel about the bowing. It's just Jack and me." I said, waving a hand.

Clara stood up straight, her curly brown hair bouncing back into place. "Rapunzel would you like your sword?"

I nodded. "Please." She handed me the sword in question. She left after I said my thanks.

Jack escorted me outside and into the carriage. After settling, Jack told the driver we were ready to go, and we were off. The ride itself was a long one, but luckily it was one of the smoother ones, so it was easier to take.

"So, Punzie, what do you think we're up against?" Jack said about half an hour in.

I shrugged. "I don't know. You would think Hiccup would be able to handle it, but maybe it's bigger than I think." I sighed. "Maybe they just want some advice or something."

"It that were the case, then they would have asked for your advice in a letter."

"I know, but a girl can always hope, right?" I responded, looking back out the window.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"We're here." I said, shaking Jack's shoulder.

He blinked his eyes a couple of times before looking out the window. He stretched and ruffled his hair before looking at me apologetically. "Sorry."

I raised my eyebrows and smiled. "For falling asleep?" I shook my head, letting out a small laugh. "You're a light sleeper. I wasn't worried."

The door to our carriage opened up. I turned to see Hiccup holding the door open. "Hiccup! How have you been?" I got out of the carriage and gave him a hug, to which he returned.

"Hey, Punzie. I've been better. Things haven't been exactly quiet."

I took a step back so Jack could hug him too. "Sorry to hear that, but we came to help."

Hiccup nodded as he and Jack parted. "I know, come on. Merida's waiting inside."

"Oh, wait, Aster should be around here somewhere." I said, looking around.

"The hunter?" Hiccup asked.

I nodded. "Yes, he's the best I know. He always helped my parents whenever there was an animal attack. I figured he could help out with Mor'du."

"Punzie, Mor'du is different than other animals." Hiccup said, a little hesitant. Even though he spent most of his time with Merida, he was still a little wary of contradicting anyone of royal blood.

I, however, was quite use to Jack's confident mouth, and had no issue being told I was wrong. "I know that Hiccup, but you people need to know that you and Merida are doing everything you can. Even if Mor'du isn't like a regular bear, a hunter couldn't make the situation worse, right?"

Hiccup just shrugged. I looked around some more before spotting the hunter in question. "Aster!" I called out, waving my hand. When I caught his attention, I made my way toward him. "How was the trip for you?"

He shrugged, and sheathed the sword he was holding. "It was alright. I was never a big fan of travel. What about yours, your highness?"

I waved a hand. "Just call me Rapunzel or Punzie. I'm not one for formality. The trip was just fine. Now, can you come with me?"

He nodded. "Should I bring any weapons?" He looked back his luggage, which was quite a collection.

I shook my head. "No, just your sword. We're going to be meeting up with Merida to discuss what has been going on."

He looked behind me. "Okay... but do you need help with your hair...?"

I followed his gaze to see my hair, which was dragging behind me. "No, that's alright, but thank you." I turned around and headed back to where Jack and Hiccup were. I could here Aster following behind me.

"You ready to go?" Jack asked, holding out a hand. He glanced behind me, a shadow falling onto his features.

I nodded and looked back at Aster, who looked a little unsure. Hiccup turned and led us toward the main entrance. Jack put a light hand on my back, and I wondered briefly if that was for my benefit or more of a warning toward Aster. I chuckled. "When was the mote added?"

Hiccup paused just before the edge of the mote. He waved a hand as he looked back at me. "It was finished a few months ago. We started it when Mor'du started to attack much more frequently. Queen Elinor was worried about him getting into the castle, so King Fergus decided to build the mote."

As he was talking the front door, lowered down, serving as a bridge as well. As soon as it touched the side of the ground we were standing on, Hiccup walked onto it and inside the castle. Jack, Aster and I followed suit. Jack cleared his throat and nodded behind me. I looked to see that my hair wasn't fully across the bridge. Together, Jack and I gathered it up so they could close the door.

"So, where's Merida?" Jack asked once the front door was fully shut.

"I left her in the library, but you know how she wanders." Hiccup replied, facing us.

"Well, then let's go check the library." I said, already heading in that direction.

"I can see you still remember your way around." Hiccup said with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. "It's called a good memory." I looked around the entrance hall. "I see a lot has changed since I was last here." Last time I was here, the entrance hall decor was a little on the darker side. Now, the tapestries were of light blue, golden, and even some white. Plus, all the windows were open. A rug was laid out across the entrance hall. It had a design that resembled a dragon breathing fire.

Hiccup shrugged. "Yeah, Merida wanted change."

I nodded not really sure on how to respond. After walking through hallway after confusing hallway (all had been renovated a bit, too), I were at the library. Without waiting for anyone, who were all lagging behind, I shoved open the oak doors, which were painted a lighter color, as well as being heavier than I remembered. Then again, I hadn't really been to the library very often.

"Merida!" I called out, practically skipping into the spacious room. I may be a queen, but I would never not be excited to see one of my closest friends.

"Punzie!" I heard from my left, and before I could react, I was tackled to the ground.

I squealed from surprise and a faceful of red curls. "I thought you'd grow out of this!"

Merida got up and held out a hand to me, which I gratefully took. "Please, I always get a kick out of scaring you!"

I gasped. "You never scare me!" That was a lie. Pretty much every time someone snuck up on my, I would get terrified, but I wouldn't ever admit that. "So, how have you been?" I asked, giving her a good look. She looked healthy, but different. She was no longer sporting pants and a tunic. She was actually wearing a dress that had the same color scheme as the entrance hall, but with orange as well. Her belt, was gold and green, sported her family crest. Her hair was pulled into pigtails that had rings of gold around it. She was even wearing her crown-something she refused to even look at when she was younger.

"I've been better. What about you?" She replied, grimacing slightly.

I shrugged. "Things have actually been quiet for a good few months, but I'm a little worried about that."

"Pitch?" She asked, worry creasing her forehead.

I nodded. "Yeah. Before, he'd been relentless, but I'm worried he thinks what happened with my parents will happen again."

She waved her hand. "Maybe he actually has given up this time. Now, where's Jack" I haven't seen him in forever."

"I'm right here." Jack said, strutting through the doorway. He had his hands up, waving his stall carelessly.

Merida smiled. "Jack! How have you been?" She went and gave him a hug, which nearly knocked him over.

"Good, and I see you haven't lost your strength." He replied, letting out a strained chuckling.

Merida let go just as Aster and Hiccup entered the room. "Who is he?" Merida asked, looking Aster over, a little suspiciously. It wasn't hard to see why. Aster was a towering man of bulky muscle. Not to mention he had a firm grip on his sheathed sword. Plus, he was wearing clothing made from a variety of different animals. He wasn't the most welcoming person.

I walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "This is Aster. He's the best hunter I know. I figured he could help out."

Merida pursed her lips for a moment before extending a hand toward him. "Merida. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Aster took her hand and gave it a kiss. "The pleasure is all mine, you Highness."

Merida waved the hand he kissed after he let it go. "Just call me Merida, please." She gathered up her skirt and made her way toward the back of the room. "Now, all of you, come with me. Hiccup, you too. I'm sure Toothless would understand."

I was right behind Merida, but looked back at Hiccup curiously, who was rubbing his neck. Merida led us to a seating area right by two huge windows. There was a set of armchairs and a sofa, all of which were decked out on more dragon designs. There was an ornament table situated in between the two armchairs that was made from a dark wood. A matching table sat in front of the sofa.

Merida sat down in one of the armchairs while I took a seat in the middle of the sofa. Hiccup and Jack took the spots on either side of me. Aster took the other armchair.

"Alright, so what's been going on?" I asked, settling my hands in my lap.

Merida straightened her back before speaking up, "Well, as I wrote in my letter, Mor'du's attacks are becoming much more frequent. They mostly stay on the outer parts of the village, but I don't think he's going to keep to the outskirts. Plus, he seems different."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, fiddling with his staff.

"Well, Hiccup and I were visiting his family a couple of days ago. They had just moved here, and we were welcoming them to the village. Mor'du came and attacked up."

"Oh, is everyone okay?" Even I could hear how high my voice went, but I was more worried about anyone getting hurt.

"Yeah, vikings are pretty tough." Merida said. "Anyway, Mor'du usually would just be in a bit of a blind rage. You know, just thrashing around and whatnot, but this time, he seemed like he had a plan. He just seemed more aware."

I nodded. "Okay, well, is there anything that we need to know about Mor'du in general?"

"Here." She picked up a book that was resting on the table beside her. She leaned over and held out the book. I took it and nearly dropped it, surprised by the weight.

"Woops." I muttered when I set it on my lap. I started skimming through the pages. "So, what is this exactly?"

"It's everything we know about Mor'du, as well as every encounter. There's some theories about him, too, but those aren't very reliable."n Hiccup spoke up. "Here, this is the first known attack." He flipped through until about halfway through the book.

I started reading it. "This is when your father lost his leg." I said, looking up at Merida.

"Yeah, that was when we first came across him, before we even built the castle. We were traveling from out old home-one I don't remember, but Father said we were driven from the land." She said.

I nodded. "okay, well. In that case, we need to discuss what to do about the problem. Aster, do you have any ideas?"

The man in question scratched at his jaw. "Well, it sounds like we're gonna have to kill it. I mean, that seems about the only way to fully get rid of him."

"Well, you do you suppose we do that?" Merida asked, her full attention on him.

"It's hard to say. I'd have to get a good look of him before I can really say. Usually, I'd just set a bear trap or something, but you say Mor'du isn't like other bears. How big is it?"

"About seven feet tall." I said, reading it straight from the book. "Abnormally strong, too."

"Alright, bear trap is out of the question, then." He said, looking lost in thought. "Do you know where it stays. A cave or something, maybe?"

"We have a general idea, but anyone who has ever sought him out never came back." Merida replied.

"Okay, well, in that case. I'll need a map marking the area." He replied, leaning forward slightly. He rested his elbows on his knees and looked over at Merida.

"That's a death sentence, and I'd rather not have your death on my conscience." She said, shaking her head.

He rolled his eyes. "I can handle an over sized bear. I'm not going to die. Besides, if you don't tell me, I'll just go wandering around the woods."

Merida sighed. "Fine, but after supper. It's almost time to eat anyway." She got up and headed for the doorway.

The rest of us followed suit, which was when i noticed how hungry I actually was.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Thank you, Ethel. This was wonderful." I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin.

Ethel, who was one of the many servants, nodded her thanks before taking my dish. She gathered up everyone else's plates as well before leaving the dining hall.

"When were the renovations done?" Jack asked, taking in the decor. I was too. The dining hall had the same color scheme as the entrance hall-blue and gold, though a darker shade of blue. The table and chairs had carving all over it, most of which were dragon like, similar to the other designs around the castle. The walls and flooring were lighter than I remember, as well.

"After I got the news about my parents." Merida replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Jack replied, ruffling his hair.

Merida waved him off. "It's alright. Now. Sleeping arrangements. All the guest rooms are on the third floor. Take your pick."

Everyone got up and shuffled toward the staircase. I hung back, grabbing hold of Merida. "Are the triplets here or what?"

She smiled. "Hubert and Hamish are travelling, seeing the world, right now, and Harris has married into another kingdom. He visits every now and again."

I nodded. "That's good. I miss them."

"I do too. Now go and get to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us." She said, lightly pushing me towards the stairs.

"Alright, goodnight, Mer." I said over my shoulder.

She waved at me. "Night Punzie."

I made my way up to the third floor and started looking for Jack. "Jack?" I called, walking into a room.

"Oh, hi Rapunzel. Do you need anything?" Aster asked when he saw me walk in. He had already changed into a pair of sleeping trousers and was about to pun on a night shirt.

I could feel my face burn as I responded, "Um, I'm just looking for Jack. You haven't seen him, have you?"

He finished putting on his shirt. "He's a few doors down the hall, I think."

"Thanks." I said, backing out of the room. I turned and continued down the hall. The third door after Aster's room was wide open, and I could hear Jack moving around inside. Well, more like cursing around.

"Jack?" I asked, knocking on the doorframe lightly. He was rummaging through a bag that was on the large bed. Almost all of our bags were open and their contents were spilling out onto the floor. Jack had his eyebrows knitted together in concentration as he continued looking through the bag.

"Hey, Punzie." He replied. He didn't even look up.

"What are you doing?" I drawled, ambling into the room.

"I'm looking for my night clothes. I can't find them anywhere." He said, looking up at me in a huff.

I giggled. "I knew you would forget them." I walked over to my own bag, which was sitting near the window. It was the only one he had yet to search,

"Why didn't you remind me?" He complained, and stopped looking around the bag.

I bent down and opened up my bag. Right on tom were a set of night clothes for the both of us. I knew he always forgot somethings, and more times than not, that something were his night clothes. "I didn't remind you because you still would have forgotten. Instead, I just brought a pair of clothes for you."

He gave me a grateful smile. "What would I do without you?"

I tossed the clothes to him. "Sleep in your underwear." I took my nightgown and my toiletries bag and went into the bathroom, which was attached to the room.

After getting dressed in my nightgown, I folded up my other clothes and set them down on the counter. I reached into my bag and, took out the rest of my things to get ready for being bed.

Ten minutes later, I had my face and mouth cleaned. I to start brushing my hair when there was a knock at the door. "Yes?" I , setting down my brush.

"How much longer are you going to be?" It was Jack. He was probably wanting to get ready for bed, too.

I gathered up my things and opened up the door. "Yeah, I was just going to brush my hair."

He groaned. "But that takes ages."

I huffed out a small laugh. "I'll brush it out here. Besides, my record is an hour."

He rolled his as he walked past me. I shook my head and took a seat on the bed. With a sigh, I started on my hair. An hour and ten minutes later, I was finally done. Jack had already taken a shower and was off wandering the castle. I guessed to go catch up with Hiccup some more, but I wasn't entirely sure. I set my brush down back in the bathroom and picked up the hair pin from my bag.I was already walking out the bedroom door before I could finish pinning back some of my hair.

I decided that it wasn't worth the trouble of trying to pin up the rest of my hair because it would get messed up either way. Besides, I was going to take a shower in the morning, so it didn't matter even further. Instead of worrying about my hair, I was more focussed on what was happening with Merida's Kingdom, DunBroch.

Mor'du had been a bit of a problem for quite a long time, but he was never a big enough problem to ask me for help. Merida wasn't one to immediately go looking for help. She was strong-willed and stubborn, not flakey and dependent. Even Hiccup, who was more willing to seek help, hardly consulted with a problem he believed he could handle. Was Mor'du really that dangerous? And if he was, what were Jack and I, as well as Aster, getting ourselves into?

I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice where I was. I had managed to wander into the practice field behind the castle. Since it was dark out, there wasn't anyone practicing. The grass, which peaked between my bare toes, was soft and springy. The moon, which was almost full, shone brightly. I could see that the practicing area was well kept, but also frequently used. The ground was scarred up and there were many targets set up still. A large shed sat by the door into the castle. I assumed it held all the weaponry. I walked a little further into the field, stopping a little past the middle. It spelled like it was going to rain soon, but I could really tell how close any clouds were because of the darkness.

A soft, whispery sound came from the forest. I took a couple of steps towards the foliage and squinted into the shadows. I couldn't really see anything, but I could tell that the leaves were moving around. And not from the wind.

"Hello?" I called, folding my hands together by my neck. For some reason, I felt very exposed, and the aloneness pressed down on my chest. The same whispery sound filled my ears. Some more rustling.

Just as I heard a loud, vicious grown, something came stumbling from the forest. It was a huge, black bear standing on its hind paws. I gasped and its head swiveled around to face me. Yellow eyes peered down at me. A scream froze in my throat when I saw the absolute awareness in those eyes.

Its back was littered with arrows, and long, jagged scars shone almost silver in the moonlight. With a huff, it loud out a loud moan that sounded similar to a roar. It's slightly unhinged jaw opened wide, and finally, a scream tore through my throat.

I stumbled back, tripping over my hair a little. "Help! Somebody, please, help me!" I yelled as loud as I could. Behind me, I heard Mor'du get down on all fours and started to move. A huge paw knocked me to the ground, ripping another piercing scream from me. I rolled off my stomach and onto my back.

Mor'du let out another huff and started toward me again. He pinned me to the ground. Just as he was getting to really attack me, a burst of light hit, literally. A bright, blue ball of light knocked him off of me. He stumbled to his hind legs again and let out another vicious moan.

"Rapunzel!" Jack's voice called from the castle.

I looked over to see him already running towards me. He was still in his nightclothes, but had his staff held out in front of him. Merida came out after him. She was in a nightclothes, too, and she was holding her bow.

Mor'du took a couple of steps toward me again before getting hit with the same ball of light. He stumbled around a bit before turning to the direction of where the hit came from. With a low moan, he started toward something that I couldn't really see. I scrambled to my feet just as Jack came next to me. He pulled to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. "Are you okay?"

I only nodded, just noticing that I was crying. I buried my face into his chest a little.

Five minutes later, I heard Hiccup speak up. "He's gone. Toothless and I chased him off."

I looked over at Hiccup before letting out another scream. Right behind him was a huge, black beast. It had its wings spread out, looking ready to pounce.

"Woah, Punzie what's wrong?" Hiccup said, looking alarm. I probably looked just as alarmed.

"What is that?" I asked through trembling lips. I pointed to the animal behind him.

"What?" He looked behind him. "Oh, that's Toothless." He took a step back and patting the thing's head. It made a purring sound and leaned into Hiccup's touch.

"Toothless?" I repeated. It looked at me with curiosity, and I saw of how aware it was-almost human.

"Come on. Let's get inside." Merida spoke up. She had her bow slung across her back and had her quiver strapped around her hips.

I nodded. Jack directed me toward the castle. I could hear Hiccup and Toothless following. Once we were all inside, I turned to Hiccup. "Okay, explain, please."

**Author's Note:**

_First off, yay! I finally finished it. It took a bit longer than I wanted because a bunch of stuff came up (sorry). Also, I'm going on vacation for a week and then school starts, so I don't know when exactly I'll get a chance to upload again, but I'll try and write as much as I can in the meantime!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

_Hey, terribly sorry for the long wait, I had a bunch of stuff pop up, and then this lovely thing called Writer's Block, so sorry. It is a little short, but stuff is gonna start happening soon, so hopefully they'll get longer. Since I've got school going on right now (such a pesky thing, isn't it), so it'll take me a bit longer to write a chapter and get it up. Also, I think I'll actually write out a rough outline to keep me from getting discouraged from finishing it. So, if you are reading this, it would mean more than I could ever say if you could leave a review. Even a small one is more than nothing! So, don't be afraid to say something! Anywho, get to reading (please)!_

_-M.B_

**C****hapter Four**

Pitch Black was use to many things: the dark, Fearlings, Nightmares, fear, even failure. Company wasn't one of things, especially that of a bear. Yes, it was easier to deal with than other bears, thanks to him, but this one was different. It was big, bad, and ready to kill.

It's bloodthirst was probably the hardest to work around. It was made for killing human beings, and as far as appearances were, Pitch pretty human. So, in between plotting and taming the bear, his plans were a little difficult to accomplish.

With a sigh, he smoothed a hand over his hair. "Damn bear." He muttered. It had escaped again, and his patience was running thin. He could kill the bear if need be, but he would have to rethink his strategy if it came to that.

He already had plenty of nightmares looking for it, but his frustration was at an alltime high. He already had his darling princess where she should be and her little guard was rather easy to take care of.

The only problem was the dragon. With his hace to move things along, he didn't see if anything had changed at the DunBroch Kingdom. Now that there was a dragon, ( and a nightfury, no less!) he had to be a little more careful.

Pitch paced back and forth, thinking up as many ideas as he could to solve this little problem, but none of them seemed to catch his liking. He could always just kill the dragon, but that would take too much precious time. He could capture it and use it against the rider, but, again, it would take too long. He could try summoning a fearling. Then again, they were unpredictable and could ruin the entire plan.

Finally, a nightmare came charging into his castle. It looked riled up and ready to strike. With a gently hand, Pitch pet its muzzle, calming the beast down. "Where is the bear?" He asked. He cocked his head as the horse huffed out its answer. "Really?" With Narrow eyes, Pitch left his castle. He was past his frustration. Now, he was absolutely livid

XXX

"A dragon?" I repeated for the umpteenth time. Hiccup and Merida had explained that Toothless what, in fact, a dragon.

"A Nightfury, if you want to be exact." Hiccup said. He was actually leaning against the dragon in question.

Toothless, who was the one to drive Mor'du away, was rather intelligent for an animal. He was also quite expressive. I figured that out early on. He was a bit larger than a human being, but was more in the middle when it came to dragon sizes. He was covered head to tail in shiny, black scales and had yellow-green eyes. He was also missing his left tail fin.

"How long have you two know each other?" I asked, waving my finger between them. It sounded a little odd to me, seeing as Toothless was a dragon, but so far he was treated more as human, so I figured to do the same.

"Well, I think it's about five years, now." Hiccup responded. Toothless gave a little nod in response, too.

"Oh." I said, not sure what else to say. I took hold of some of my hair to distract myself.

"Well, it's been a long day. How about we all go to bed." Merida spoke up. She walked forward and put an arm around my shoulders.

She steered me toward the staircase. I could hear Hiccup and Jack talking quietly, but I couldn't understand what exactly they were saying. I didn't get the chance to figure that out, either, because Merida and I were already halfway up the stairs.

"So, how long have you known about Toothless?" I asked. I was actually really curious. I mean, I had known both Merida and Hiccup much longer than five years, and I had never heard of Toothless.

"Well, actually for only about three years. Hiccup did leave the kingdom for a little over year. He left probably six months after he met Toothless. Hiccup told me about him only after he came back." She replied. "We haven't seen each other in a few years, and that was only a short visit to make sure you were alright."

I nodded. "No, I know. I was just wondering."

She nodded, too, and after a moment, spoke up, "How _are _you doing?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know. Well, Pitch hasn't so much as breathed on our lands. It worries me, especially after what happened with my parents."

She gave me a reassuring hug. "Don't worry, it'll get better."

"That's what worries me. My parents were sure he was gone, and I did too, but he wasn't. What if he's not really gone? What if he's just waiting for us to let our guard down." I stopped walking. We were at the top of the stairs. "Merida, he's a very patient man. I learned that while I was living with him. I just can't believe he would give up this easily; after everything he went through for this? No, he wouldn't."

She put a hand on my shoulder. "Punzie, I know that, but you can be watching your shadow _all _the time. If he is biding his time, and I do think he might be, all we can do is be ready." She dropped her hand, but didn't start walking. "Look, you can't waste your life in the dark. You need to live. Please, don't forget that."

"I won't, I promise." I said, giving her a small smile. I meant it. I really did. "Now, how about we get to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note:**

Hey, sorry it's not an actual update, but I actually have a decent excuse (I lost my charger to my laptop and couldn't write. Plus, I got really sick all last week and could barely move, let alone write). Anywho, I should get this up and running real soon. I have a rough outline all nice and fleshed out, so I know where to go.

I do admit I have been struggling with some writer's block, but after getting the outline out,a s well as all the back ground information down, I'm feeling much better about where this thing is gonna go. And, if you were wondering, I do happen to plan on explaining all their back stories work, and intermix, as well as where the movies and stuff fit in (Yes they will fit in somewhere, just not exactly like the movies)

I'll shoot for a new chapter a week, but I'm not promising anything, because if I stick with that, and i'm not ready with a chapter, things are gonna get shitty. So, if I don't meet it, I'm sorry, I'll try and get it out as soon as I can. I do have a life, and other obligations that are (unfortunately) higher up on my list than this. I also have some other fanfics in the works (more Rise of the Guardians, and a Brave and HTTYD crossover), but I dunno when exactly I'll post them.

One last thing, if you have any ideas whatsoever, no matter how outlandish, I would love to hear them (Just send me a PM), and I might work it into this, but I won't over load this, I promise. Well, that is all, thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good night (or day)!

-C

P.S. I didn't actually proof read this (shhh!), so I apologize for any grammatical errors (feel free to let me know, I do happen to be a Grammar Nazi myself, and would;d hate to go back and read this only to find a mistake).


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